{"product_id":"lightning-man-the-accursed-life-of-samuel-f-b-morse-9780306813948","title":"Lightning Man: The Accursed Life of Samuel F. B. Morse","description":"This brilliantly conceived biography is the very American tale of a quiet man, raised by religious zealots, who became a gifted and prolific painter (more than three hundred portraits and historical canvases), became the first Professor of Fine Arts at an American college, and founded the National Academy of Design. A classic overachiever, this was simply not enough for Samuel F. B. Morse; he subsequently ran for Congress and mayor of New York. Lastly, in his most famous life's work, he invented a machine that was to transform commerce, communication, transportation, military affairs, diplomacy, and the course of the modern world. What invention could be so revolutionary? The telegraph, of course-and the eponymous Morse code. Here is the story of an incredible invention, and an engrossing life, by a Bancroft- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn and raised in Manhattan, \u003cb\u003eKenneth Silverman\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor Emeritus of English at New York University. His other books include \u003ci\u003eTimothy Dwight, A Cultural History of the American Revolution, Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance, and Houdini!!! The Life of Ehrich Weiss\u003c\/i\u003e. He is winner of the Bancroft Prize in American History and the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for \u003ci\u003eThe Life and Times of Cotton Mather\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Da Capo Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50460091449618,"sku":"9780306813948","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_38435a63-2c50-4272-976d-439fe3399efc.jpg?v=1730026485","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/lightning-man-the-accursed-life-of-samuel-f-b-morse-9780306813948","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}